This is my first official Blog post using WordPress. I decided to switch over to WordPress as my Blog “container” instead of writing to the Text Module within my DotNetNuke website. The overall look and feel of this Blog will change to reflect the theme of our website, but in due time. At some point I will pull all my current blog post over to this medium but for now, here I am!
Well it certainly has been a while since my last post and so much has taken place!
First, and most importantly, we got our server running with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 thank you in large part to Timothy Lally, President of KTL Solutions, Inc. out of Frederick Maryland. With this CRM system there will be lots of internal changes that will improve how we operate and keep track of our clients and our services. Two of the biggest assets of this system is that it will allow us to; create a uniform data trial for clients and their respective projects and also enable us to create workflows that will aid us with many internal tasks. A small business will likely fail when too much focus is put on ‘how’ to do the day to day repetitive tasks and not get much of the required work completed. Dynamics CRM will eliminate the small nuances and allow us to focus on what matters, our clients.
The economy seems to be coming around, finally. We’re seeing a lot more interest and it’s exciting for once not to be behind the 8-ball.I’m looking forward to quadrupling the amount of business we could potentially generate this year as our client base is expanding.
This is it for now. Will be updating this blog again, shortly. Because of CRM I can allocate more time for stuff like this! 
I figured I should update my blog since it’s been a while! Some new and exciting things have taken place over the last week and “we” are excited about it. First, I’ve added my brother as my business partner and the company Vice President. Nate will be in charge of growing the business in Southeastern Virginia, specifically the Chesapeake, Virginia Beach area. He comes to us with a background in Business Management and also has some nice IT certifications under his belt. Once he’s completely up to speed he will also help me focus on future growth as well as client services and support.
Also, we now have the ability to design and create website skins (for DNN) as well as some site templates for HTML etc. This itself is a big step for us mainly due to the cost associated with the design and conversion of skin files and templates. We can now reduce the price for this process and still offer clients “custom” layouts without the cost of being custom.
Finally, we’re still trying to work out a solution for some CRM application. Ideally Dynamics CRM fits us best but pricing is an issue. We’re also evaluating SharePoint Server 2007 as a second option but not totally convinced since it lacks a few key features of Dynamics CRM. We will continue on this journey and hopefully we will be on some solution by the end of the 1st quarter.
Welcome all to 2010. One valuable lesson I learned this past year when dealing with new prospective clients is assurance. Assurance that when they agree to allow me to develop their site, take on a referb project, or simply manage their site that it’s going to be done in a professional way. With that being said, I have FINALLY finished by BBB accreditation paperwork and have paid my dues. In the next week or so I will display the BBB seal on my site to let potential clients know that this is a legitimate business and I adhere to the rules and guidelines that the BB has set forth.
So I’ve decided to make some changes to better both the company and my clients for 2010. First, I am going to allow the branding of their site to be removed for a small service fee. Currently, allowing me to add the company name to developed sites is a great way to advertise and also allows me to showcase the site in my portfolio. I am not sure what that fee will be as of yet, but it will be posted by January 1, 2010.
Next, I’ve decided that it would a great way to spread the word about Trial by Fire Web Design, LLC. by offering non-profit organizations 35% discounts on their site development. This can also be applied toward their year to year Content Management fee to maintain the site throughout the year. I feel this is a great way to help out non-profit organizations who do not have a lot of cash flow and still allow them to make their mark on the internet.
Finally, I’m still working on getting Microsoft Dynamics CRM installed and still hoping this will be done by mid/end of the first quarter of 2010. This is going to help out greatly and further our efforts to saving us money, which in turn help offer a premium service to clients at bottom barrel pricing.
This may be my final post for 2009, so to all who keep up with my postings, enjoy the rest of 2009 and I will see you in 2010!
Not that it matters much for this post but it was exciting to finally get some snow as the holidays are bearing down on us.
Today I am faced with the challenge on how to display as much information about the services we provide without confusing potential clients. The problem is that when someone (me) technical has an abundance of knowledge with my abilities are it can be quite overwhelming to the potential client. It’s almost frustrating when you have so much to offer and need to display it in a non-“non” inviting way. I think I need to just start at the basics with organizational standards as I have done with everything else.
My post yesterday, after looking at my site was a tad long, so I will try to be a little more conservative with the number of characters I type…lol So this week I signed up to be an affiliate with iS3, the company who brought us STOPZilla. STOPZilla is a Spyware|Adware|Worm|Virus type program that really does work. I started using it after two Facebook incidence (Bad Links) rendered both my PC’s nearly useless. If anyone has, or thinks they have Spyware, Adware or Worm issues check out my KB Article I posted on my iSupport desk, the software is more than worth it!!!!
http://www.trialbyfiredesigns.com/support/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=7
The Anti-Spyware software works on Windows XP, Windows Vista & Windows 7
Well, I read today that creating Blogs is a great way to increase ones presence on the internet. So…. I thought I would give it a shot since the price and time involved in SEO is so expensive these days. I’m not totally sure I can see where this blog is going to go but I guess I will give it a shot.
I’m finding that business today is much tougher than yester-year, but on the flip side, we’re still growing. This year we’re on the warpath to integrate “everything to everything” to make every transaction a lot smoother. For January of 2009 we invested heavily on a support desk (www.TrialByFireDesigns.com/Support) to help our customers submit changes a lot easier. Here, they can login submit new and review old support tickets, read published KB articles, download items (haven’t focused too much on this) and read company news. It’s a very robust system and agree with the people who built it…. it’s like no other. Now, for 2010 I’m hoping to get a more internal system in place. We’re planning on running Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 to run everything about our core business. In a nutshell, Dynamics CRM 4.0 can do everything needed in a business, except for accounting….. but this is why I have QuickBooks. See, two things in business drive up the cost of goods and services; time and efficiency. CRM will help to increase efficiency by creating workflows which in turn saves time, which = money. This is especially helpful because if it cost less to operate than I can charge the client less and hopefully increase the volume of clients. So anyway…. stay tuned… hopefully by January 1, 2010 that will be in place and functional.